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So I have been thinking a lot about my plans for the coming year. In years past I have felt motivated to do more with my blogging: blog more often, do more tutorials, get sponsors, redesign the site, go to conferences, make patterns, the list goes on and on. But in recent months I’ve felt very strongly that I should do less. I realized that all those things don’t come very naturally to me and are just not a priority. I don’t think I’ll ever be a professional blogger, sewing competition winner, book writer or a pattern designer, but for now, that’s okay.

Happy New Year!! I hope that you have all had a wonderful holiday season and a great start to 2015! I usually get wrapped up in all sorts of holiday festivities and preparations around the month of December, which is why the blog went pretty quiet there for awhile. But I’ve enjoyed a lot of time with family – celebrating, playing and relaxing – and I hope you have been able to do the same!

Hello!! I hope that, for those of you who celebrated, you had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, gratitude and food! I’ve been enjoying a bit of a break from sewing and blogging recently, but I’m here today with a long overdue Miss Matatabi Makers project!

Phew! This Halloween costume has been in the works for, what feels like, fooorever. It’s ridiculous when I start thinking about just how much time (and money) I’ve spent on this kid’s Halloween costume! But it was such a fun challenge for me – I really love making Halloween costumes!! I get a lot of enjoyment out of trying to figure out ways to translate a picture or a character into something tangible, an outfit, or a costume. So here’s the back story . . . Continue reading →

Hello!! I’m here with a tutorial today that I’m really excited about! 3 years ago, I made a Totoro costume for Yuki and it was a huge hit with Totoro fans around the world. Since then I’ve been getting regular emails about custom orders for costumes or selling the pattern for it, but I don’t do either. I figured the least I can do is a tutorial for the costume so people can try their hand at making one themselves! Continue reading →

So I have exactly one project coming out of this Kids Clothes Week, but I’m pretty damn excited about it! The (optional) theme for this season was Kid Art and while this dress was probably the last thing I needed to make, I got really excited by the idea of getting Yuki involved in creating a one-of-a-kind garment for herself. I had all sorts of ideas like fabric painting, stenciling, iron on transfers, etc. But I knew I didn’t have much time so I could only pick one thing. If you know me, you know that I looooove fabric painting (like this cardigan, this hat and bag, and this dress) and I thought Yuki should have a go at it since she loves painting too!

So I’ve got a new project for you today. But when I say new project, I mean it’s never been posted before, but it’s something I actually made a year ago. And then photographed a couple months ago. And I’m just finally getting around to blogging it now. Oops! Better late than never right?

I call it the Strawberry Edelweiss Dress because, well, the strawberry part should be obvious and you may recognize the pattern as the Edelweiss Dress by Hey June. This dress is actually a knock off of a dress I saw a little girl wearing in a picture. I’m pretty sure it was a store bought dress and I thought it was adorable and I immediately realized the Edelweiss pattern would be perfect to recreate it. Later on I saw a little girl wearing the same dress in blue at IKEA, so I’m thinking the original may be from a big company like Carter’s or something, but I don’t have a picture of the original.

This month I’m taking a bit of a blogging break and enjoying time away from the computer. I’ve done a lot of sewing recently though, so I’ll have a lot to catch up on when I’m back! Reposting this project, originally published here, as part of the Miss Matatabi Makers series. Mmmm . . . triple gauze . . .

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Ooooh, do I have some amazing fabric to share with you today!

TRIPLE GAUZE. Did you know it existed? I did not, until very recently, and I am now a huge fan! If you think single gauze is lovely and double gauze is dreamy, well, triple gauze is downright heavenly.

The triple gauze available in the Miss Matatabi Shop is reversible, which makes it even more awesome! Before I washed it, it was smooth and soft. When it came out of the wash, it was like a fluffy cloud! Double and triple gauzes are multiple layers of gauze fabric that are attached every couple of centimeters, essentially basting or quilting the fabric. After washing and drying, the fabric was already like a perfectly lightweight quilt. Continue reading →

Bringing home this post from March, originally published here, as part of the Miss Matatabi Makers series. This is the THIRD Washi Dress that I’ve made (see 1 and 2), not to mention, the wedding dress I made from a hacked version of the pattern! Can you tell I love it? By the way, this fabric is still available in the Miss Matatabi shop!

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When looking through Frances’ fabulous shop, this gorgeous cotton voile caught my eye. It’s called Starry Night and comes in several beautiful colors. I knew immediately that this lightweight fabric would make something wonderful to wear for the upcoming warm weather months.